Section 144 imposed in Khagrachhari

Additional District Magistrate Anar Koli has imposed the section 144 at 4.00pm on Wednesday that will remain effective till 12pm on Friday.

Source: Dhaka Tribune, Wednesday, February 26, 2014 at 19:52, Link: http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2014/feb/26/section-144-imposed-khagrachhari

Chittagong Hill Tracts unit of Stop Violence against Women and Women Resource Network form a human chain in front of the deputy commissioner's office in Rangamati town yesterday demanding arrest and punishment of the criminals who raped and killed Sabita Chakma on the bank of Chengi River in Khagrachhari district on February 15. Photo: collected

The local administration has imposed section 144 at Kamalchhari union of Sadar upazila and its adjacent Mohalchhari upazila following another clash between Pahari and Bangali that left nine more people injured for the second consecutive day on Wednesday.

Additional District Magistrate Anar Koli has imposed the section 144 at 4.00pm on Wednesday that will remain effective till 12pm on Friday.

Officer-in-charge of Sadar police station Md Mizanur Rahman said a total 19 people were injured in the last two days over the clashes held at different villages under sadar upazila in the district.

The people injured on Wednesday were identified as Ripon Mia, 45, son of Mohosin Mia, Shahid Biswas, 35, son of Rashid Biswas, Rashedul Islam, 25, son of Suruj Mia, Zahed Alam, 28, son of Shamsul Hoque, Shah Alam, 35, son of Jamal Uddin, Rezaul Karim, 30, son of Jahid Hossain of Bhuyachhari village, Bipul Jyoti Chakma, 35, son of Gogo Chakma, Roma Devi Chakma, 56, wife of Gogo Chakma and Mamoni Chakma, 25, daughter of Babu Chakma of Barnalmukh under sadar upazila in Khagrachhari district, OC Mizanur added.

All injured were admitted at Khagrachhari Adhunik Sadar Hospital, police confirmed.

A total 12 platoon police, army, BGB were deployed at different spots in the conflicted areas to avoid further untoward incident, the OC said.

Meanwhile, Pahari and Bangali have been blaming each other for Wednesday’s clashes.

Around 100 Bengali settlers attacked on ethnic villages Apar Betchhari, Barnalmukh, Barnal Headman Para and injured three people while they also torched a Budda Bihar, ransacked its furniture, stole a little Budda statue and looted some money, Gayano Chakma, a villager of Kamalchhari village alleged, quoting affected areas’ locals.

Villager Mohammad Shahor Ali, alleged around 100 Pahari (ethnic) people came under attack when they went in a nearby jungle, adjacent to their Bhuiyachhari village to seek Shahid, who was missing since Tuesday afternoon clashes.

Replying another quarry Shahor Ali denied their involvement with torching any Buddah Bihar, materials or any statue, he said adding that the Pahari people themselves might torch this to probe us guilty.

None of our men went to Apar Betchhari, situated around five kilometers away from our village, Shahor Ali added.

When asked, local law maker Kujendra Lal Tripura said: “I have visited the spots and tried to find the fact about what actually happened. Give me some time to understand then I can give you a comment.”

Pahari-Bangalee clash leaves 10 injured

The clashes erupted over the murder of Sabita Chakma issue

Source: Dhaka Tribune, February 26, 2014 | Link: http://www.dhakatribune.com/law-amp-rights/2014/feb/26/pahari-bangalee-clash-leaves-10-injured

At least 10 people were injured in clashes yesterday between the indigenous villagers of Kamalchhari and the leaders and activists of the Parbattya Bangali Chhatra Parishad over the murder of Sabita Chakma.

Among the injured, six were from the PBCP and four from the Chakma indigenous community. They were admitted to the Khagrachhari Adhunik Sadar Hospital and some other private clinics in the hill town, police confirmed. Khagrachhari district unit PBCP Secretary Mohammad Masum alleged that the villagers of Kamalchhari attacked their men first when they were chanting slogans from a procession while crossing the village protesting the blaming of Bangalees for Sabita’s murder.

“You [journalist] know that the Paharis brought a false accusation that a Bangalee raped and killed housewife Sabita Chakma. But the post mortem report proved that she had been hacked to death,” Masum said.

“The pahari people intentionally attacked us,” Masum alleged. But he did not explain why they had been chanting slogans against the indigenous people.

On the other hand, Kamalchhari village Headman Kirtimoy Chakma said the villagers blockaded the Khagrachhari-Bhuyachhari road yesterday morning protesting the murder of Sabita Chakma.  He alleged that the PBCP men attacked them first when they were returning home after staging a human chain at Shapla Chattar.

“The Bangalees have the right to protest; but they have no right to attack us,” Kirtimoy said.

Indigenous populace under peril of violence

Source: Dhaka Tribune, February 24, 2014 | Link: http://www.dhakatribune.com/law-amp-rights/2014/feb/24/indigenous-populace-under-peril-violence

According to the organisation, at least 11 indigenous people including four women- three from CHT and eight from plainland- were killed in 2013

•  Women activists form a humanchain at the capital’s Shahbagh yesterday, demanding an end to the repression and violence against indiginous women  Photo- Dhaka Tribune

Recent findings of Kapaeeng Foundation, a human rights organisation, indicates that the indigenous population of the country are struggling to survive in the face of land grabbing and other forms of violence and intimidation.

It said compared to last two years, incidents of violence against the indigenous population, particularly those related to land grabbing, have increased alarmingly.

According to the findings, at least 10 communal attacks- six in Chittagong Hill Tracts (including EPZ) and four in the plain land- took place in which houses and properties of at least 346 families- 275 from CHT and 71 from plainland- were destroyed and looted.

In the same year, at least 47 houses including one from the plainland were set on fire. Around 2000 people of CHT had to flee to the no man’s land at the India- Bangladesh border.

Last year, 66 families were attacked in the plainland and in last five years at least 200 families fled to India from North Bengal region falling victims of land grabbing, false cases and intimidation.

The statistics show, during the last year, 3792 acres of land were grabbed only in the CHT area while 103 bighas of land in the plain land.

The land grabbers include mostly Bengali settlers (who were politically settled in 1975 by the government order), high profile political figures from the government and also top brass of some multinational companies.

Of the total areas grabbed in CHT, 3717 acres of lands were grabbed mainly by outside private parties and influential people including former Forest and Environment Minister’s wife Noor Fatema and 75 acres were grabbed by the government.

Indigenous families from the northwest region of the country had lost their traditional lands as the administration listed them as ‘Khas’ (state-owned) land, although, as a signatory of the ILO Convention no 107 on Indigenous and Tribal Populations, the state is not permitted to do so, said the findings.

The report also pointed out that a total of 26 families were evicted while 1062 families were under threat of eviction.

According to the organisation, at least 11 indigenous people including four women- three from CHT and eight from plainland- were killed in 2013.

A total of 67 indigenous women and children- 53 from CHT and 14 from plainland-were subjected to violence. Of them, 15 indigenous women and children-12 from CHT and three from plainland- were raped.

The report mentioned that 69% of the women victims were minor while 89% of the perpetrators were Bengali settlers- 7% of indigenous origin and 4% from security forces. 

PCP organized a demonstration rally and meeting on the occasion of International Mother Language Day yesterday

আন্তর্জাতিক মাতৃভাষা দিবসে পাহাড়ী ছাত্র পরিষদের বিক্ষোভ মিছিল ও সমাবেশ

“পার্বত্য চট্টগ্রাম চুক্তি মোতাবেক স্ব-স্ব মাতৃভাষার মাধ্যমে প্রাথমিক শিক্ষা চালু কর” এই দাবিকে সামনে রেখে পাহাড়ী ছাত্র পরিষদের উদ্যোগে খাগড়াছড়িতে এক ছাত্র সমাবেশ আয়োজন করা হয়। গতকাল শহরের মহাজনপাড়াস্থ এমএন লারমার ভাস্কর্য পাদদেশ প্রাঙ্গনে এই সমাবেশ অনুষ্ঠিত হয়।এর আগে সকাল ১১.০০ টায় মিলনপুরস্থ কেন্দ্রীয় অফিস থেকে এক বিক্ষোভ মিছিল শহরের বিভিন্ন সড়ক প্রদক্ষিণ করে চেঙ্গী স্কয়ারে এসে শেষ হয়। সমাবেশে সভাপতিত্ব করেন, পাহাড়ী ছাত্র পরিষদের সভাপতি ছাত্রনেতা অং সান থুই মারমা খিলু। বক্তব্য রাখেন, পার্বত্য চট্টগ্রাম জনসংহতি সমিতির (এমএন লারমা) খাগড়াছড়ি সদর থানা কমিটির সাধারণ সম্পাদক ও সাবেক ছাত্রনেতা প্রত্যয় চাকমা, পাহাড়ী ছাত্র পরিষদের খাগড়াছড়ি জেলা কমিটির সভাপতি ছাত্রনেতা রূপন চাকমা, সাধারণ সম্পাদক ছাত্রনেতা শান্ত চাকমা ও দিপু চাকমা প্রমুখ। সভা পরিচালনা করেন, পিসিপি’র সাধারণ সম্পাদক অমর সিং চাকমা।

সমাবেশে বক্তারা বলেন, ভাষা হচ্ছে জাতিগত পরিচয়, যোগাযোগ, সামাজিক সম্পর্ক, শিক্ষা ও মানব সমাজের উন্নয়নের প্রধান মাধ্যম। প্রত্যেক ভাষার মধ্যে একটা জাতির ইতিহাস, ঐতিহ্য ও সংস্কৃতি থাকে। তাই নিঃসন্দেহে বলা যায়, এদেশের আদিবাসীদের মাতৃভাষার চর্চা না থাকলে তাদের শত শত বছরের ঐতিহ্য, ইতিহাস ও সংস্কৃতি হারিয়ে যেতে বাধ্য। এদেশের জাতীয় ও দাপ্তরিক ভাষা হচ্ছে বাংলা। যেহেতু বাংলাদেশের মানুষ রক্ত দিয়ে বাংলাকে মর্যাদার আসনে বসিয়েছে তাই অন্য ভাষার প্রতিও মর্যাদাবান হওয়া বাংলা ভাষাভাষীদের দায়িত্ব ও কর্তব্য। কিন্তু স্বাধীনতার ৪২ বছর পরও বাংলাদেশের কোন সরকার পার্বত্য চট্টগ্রামসহ বাংলাদেশের বিভিন্ন অঞ্চলে বসবাসরত আদিবাসী জনগোষ্ঠীর মাতৃভাষায় শিক্ষার ব্যবস্থা চালু করতে পারে নি। তাই অবিলম্বে স্ব-স্ব মাতৃভাষায় প্রাথমিক শিক্ষা চালু ও আদিবাসীদের মাতৃভাষার বিশেষ সাংবিধানিক মর্যাদা প্রদানের দাবি জানান।

উল্লেখ্য যে, ১৯৯৭ সালের ২ ডিসেম্বর পার্বত্যবাসীর পক্ষে পার্বত্য চট্টগ্রাম জনসংহতি সমিতির সাথে তৎকালীন বাংলাদেশ সরকারের মধ্যে স্বাক্ষরিত “পার্বত্য চট্টগ্রাম চুক্তি” তে “স্ব-স্ব মাতৃভাষার মাধ্যমে প্রাথমিক শিক্ষা” ব্যবস্থার কথা বলা হয়েছে। 

Sabita Chakma's Killing

Int'l CHT commission demands justice

Courtesy: The Daily Star, Dhaka | February 19, 2014 | Link: http://www.thedailystar.net/city/intl-cht-commission-demands-justice-12032

The International Chittagong Hill Tracts Commission yesterday condemned the killing of indigenous woman Sabita Chakma and demanded justice in this regard.

Expressing grave concern over what it termed "continued impunity in the cases of violence against indigenous women in CHT," it pressed for immediate measures to stop such violation of human rights.

On February 15, Sabita, 30, was allegedly murdered after rape at Chengi Char in Khagrachhari Sadar upazila. Sabita was attacked near the Chengi river while she was mowing grasses for cattle in the morning. Later, her husband and villagers found her disrobed body at 5:30pm there.

The victim's husband, Debaratan Chakma, filed a case with Khagrachhari Police Station against one truck driver Mohammad Nizam and four others in this connection.

In a statement issued by the commission's co-chairs Eric Avebury, Sultana Kamal and Elsa Stamatopoulou, they said Sabita's case is not an isolated incident in the post-CHT peace accord.

“Such incidents, including sexual harassment, intimidation, rape and murder against indigenous women occur with frightening regularity in the CHT,” it said, adding that the state has failed to prevent attacks against indigenous women.

Next polls in 2019: Ashraful

Courtesy: The New Age, Dhaka | Thursday, February 13, 2014 | Link: http://www.newagebd.com/detail.php?date=2014-02-13&nid=83651#.Uv0cWmJdUlg

The Awami League’s general secretary Syed Ashraful Islam on Wednesday said that the next general elections would be held in accordance with the constitution after the current government serves out its tenure on January 28, 2019. 
‘The tenure of this government will expire on January 28, 2019 and the next elections will be held after the expiry of the tenure…. Come what may, the next elections will be held in keeping with the constitution,’ he said.
Ashraful, in his introductory statement at the meeting of the AL central working committee at Ganabhaban, said that he was confident that the AL-led government would stay in power for the next five years.
He said that the current AL-led government had a two-thirds majority in the parliament but it had no intention to amend the constitution.
Referring to the local and foreign quarters advocating fresh elections, he said that most of them had already been tired and some of them had not yet become tired.
Ashraful, also the LGRD and cooperatives minister, said that many incidents that could have taken place had not happened mainly because of right decisions the Awami League president, Sheikh Hasina, also the prime minister, made at the right time. 
He urged party leaders to remain alert to conspiracies being cooked to hamper the smooth progress of development and democracy. 
‘There is no scope for you to pass relaxed time…. You need to remain alert so that constitutional process continues,’ he said adding that the duties and responsibilities of party men would be to work for the implementation of the party’s election pledges.
Ashraful also urged party lawmakers to make the parliament vibrant by attending the house and playing an effective role. 
As for upazila elections, he said that party leaders should not ignore the elections and they should give importance to the elections. 
He said that they were trying to decide support for party leaders contesting the elections through a consensus or balloting by grass-roots leaders.
‘We have problems making decisions on candidates in some places… I urge you [party leaders] to visit your areas and resolve the problems,’ Ashraful said.
He criticised some media houses for publishing and airing fabricated and false reports quoting fake news of foreign media including New York Times. ‘Not only the news is fake but also the sources of the news are fake.’
Hasina presided over the meeting that presidium members Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, Abdul Latif Siddiqui, Matia Chowdhury, Nooh-ul Alam Lenin and Mosharraf Hossain and central working committee members attended.
The party’s central working committee member Asaduzzaman Noor, also the cultural affairs minister, quoted Hasina as asking leaders to try their best to ensure single party candidate for each of the upazila council positions.
He said that the meeting had approved the programmes on the occasion of International Mother Language Day, Independence Day and some other days the party usually observes. 

EU for full execution of CHT peace accord

Courtesy: The Daily Star, Dhaka | Monday, February 10, 2014 | Link: http://www.thedailystar.net/eu-for-full-execution-of-cht-peace-accord-10680

European Union (EU) Envoy to Bangladesh William Hanna has said full implementation of Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) peace accord is needed for peace, stability and overall development in the region.

He stressed the need for full execution of the accord while talking with Nikhil Kumar Chakma, chairman of Rangamati Hill District Council (RHDC), in his office yesterday.

Hanna, who is leading a six-member EU delegation, arrived here yesterday morning to visit the EU-funded projects in CHT.

Though no remarkable progress has been made in full implementation of the peace accord over the last ten years, significant infrastructural development and different projects funded by EU have taken place in the region, Hanna said.

He urged the government to hold elections to three hill district councils for more effective development in the region.

The EU envoy expressed satisfaction with the progress of various EU-funded projects, which are being implemented by RHDC in collaboration with CHTDF and UNDP.

RHDC Chairman Nikhil Kumar Chakma said hill people are getting benefit from the projects funded by EU. The ongoing development projects, particularly on education, health and agriculture, will hamper if the EU discontinues its funding, he said, urging the EU team to continue fund allocation for more development works in the region.

On peace accord, Nikhil said 48 out 72 clauses of the accord have already been executed by the government. “We hope the government will implement the rest of the agreement soon,” the RHDC chairman said.

Read More:
Courtesy: eprothomalo, Dhaka| Thursday, February 13, 2014| Link: http://www.eprothomalo.com/index.php?opt=view&page=1&date=2014-02-13#

Qualify 280 indigenous candidates: HC

New Age Online

Source: New Age, Dhaka | Tuesday, February 11, 2014, Link: http://www.newagebd.com/detail.php?date=2014-02-11&nid=83467#.UvrpRE6f3IU

The High Court on Tuesday directed the Bangladesh Public Service Commission to publish a fresh preliminary result of the 34th Bangladesh Civil Service exams after including 280 indigenous candidates who were disqualified in the revised result published on July 14, 2013.
The bench of Justice Naima Haider and Justice Zafar Ahmed issued the directive after disposing of a writ petition filed by 259 ethnic minority candidates.
Earlier on July 31 last year, the same bench had issued a ruling on the BPSC to explain the legality of excluding the 280 candidates in the revised result although they had passed in the initial intakes complied with indigenous quota allocation.
The court had also asked the PSC to submit a report explaining the reason of excluding the candidates in the revised result.
The petitioners’ lawyer Jyotirmoy Barua told New Age that there would be no bar to hold written test after including those 280 candidates.